


Nartes World Lore

by Dahne10



Series: Nartes [2]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Homebrew Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:00:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 4,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28869693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dahne10/pseuds/Dahne10
Summary: This is a partner to The Journal of Celdra Lanari. It contains a bunch of lore about the homebrewed world.
Series: Nartes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2117226





	1. Chapter 1

This is the frozen world of Nartes

The sun died over 300 years ago, when god of light, Volite died. Most of the gods are dead, only Krezak still lives. The gods are all dual-gendered (based on follower preferences as the gods themselves do not care). But that does not mean their power is entirely gone. The dead gods have all left Shards and a Husk. When a god dies their power coalesces into an enormous pearl in an attempt to revive them. When that process failed the pearls shattered and massive Shards were flung across the world. Every city requires 1 shard from each dead god in order to function and survive. Outside the influence of these shards (which provide warmth, light, purify the air, and much, much more (including the ability to understand language)), the powers of dead gods start to fall apart. To that end mobile entities, like merchants and adventurers, must carry Lesser Shards of every type to survive the trips between civilized areas. Every god has their own order that is dedicated to trying to enforce the will of their dead god. They are more than a religion as their goal is to do their best to replace their god/goddess (except the Hidden Scythe's).

The gods:


	2. Death of Yna

Yna was the first of the goddesses to die. Her end did not come from some mortal or an assassin, but rather from a coalition. The details of the event are lost to all, even the Watchful, but it is not completely unknown. For some reason the six other gods rallied their nations and followers on a crusade and systematically purged the Followers of Nya. The purge was bloody and far from one-sided, but in the end the six prevailed. 

Even with all of her followers dead though, the goddess was too strong to be killed by her peers as long as she remained in her realm. So the gods gathered the bodies of all her followers and burried them in cursed soil. Still she did not come down. 

Then Pritais and Lamis, deities of life and death and profoundly tied to those bodies by that, promised Yna peace so that she may come and bless her fallen. And they actually delivered, turning their armies on the other four to give Yna that time. Yna came down onto Nartes and started blessing her followers...and then a pair of champions, infused by Pritais and Lamis respectively, ambushed the goddess mid-cast. With all her power out to bless the ground she was defenseless and killed in short order. Her Power coalesced into the first Great Pearl and was shattered.  
It was only centuries later, during time of Pritais' demise, and the rise of the Godless, that Yna's followers returned in the form of the Order of the Watchful Falcon.


	3. Deaths of Pritais and Lamis

Between the time of Yna and the death of Pritais a threat had arisen in the lands and oceans of Nartes...the Godless. The Godless are well known to this day as the creatures twisted by power of a dead god and the first of these started to appear around Yna's Husk. These twisted creatures cared only to sate their hunger for Yna's power and started attacking the various Kingdoms. Their threat was small, but one Order spent their time studying the first Godless: the Order of the Hollow Tree. 

They were the ones who discovered the power of the Shards and the need the Godless had to consume those shards and they immediately started to collect the shards. Each shard was collected slowly and layered in numerous enchantments to hide them from the Godless. Once the Hollow Ones had enough shards for their plan they initiated a mass assault on the Temple of Pritais. In the span of a week millions died from the brutal city-to-city war. Every time the Order of the Eternal Lily managed to gather a fortress, the Hollows would remove the protections from a Shard and throw it in. The following swarms of Godless did the rest.

This war was all just a distraction however. As the war finally settled and the borders were drawn, all of Lamis' strongest followers gathered to use their final weapon: a single, enormous shard located at the heart of Yna's Husk. They tore open a portal to Pritais' realm and used spells to shatter the Shard into it. Godless inhabit the lands of the Husks. And this was no exception. The swarm that came through was empowered by many spells of Lamis and soon the world over fealt the death of another god.

Pritais' pearl came down, but with the power of the Shards the Order of the Hollow Tree easily broke to it and destroyed the Pearl. The following weeks were one of slaughter as Lamis suffered the same fate as Yna for her power over the Godless. Unlike Yna however, she was not strong enough to prevent her direct murder in her realm.


	6. Death of Volite

Volite's death started with an assault on her Realm by a mere hundred of Krezak's followers. The goddess was known for her volatility and her strong involvement in all the previous God Conflicts and so the occassional half-hearted assault was always expected and defended. Including those assaults where Krezak would send his full force to try to break in alongside whatever small army the other gods' followers (since the gods themselves were dead at this point) provided. And yet...somehow...Volite's pulsing Heart fell to Nartes on that assault. A mortal blow struck to her divine form. The world already flooded with Godless, faced a tide of the creatures as they moved in a frenzy toward the heart. Swarming over and around it...but not consuming it.

The Order of the Watchful Falcon then revealed a prophesy given to them by Yna herself untold centuries ago: that seven heroes marked with a glowing tatoo of a falcon claw would be the only ones who could save Volite's Heart. Those heroes were to meet near the heart and find their way to the heart through the Godless from there. Unfortunately...it was not seven heroes that showed up. But eight. One of them was an impostor. The Cavalier, the Sword Saint, the Holy Warrior, the Pyromancer, the Beastmaster, the Prodigy, the Rulecaster, and the Trickster. The Heroes moved quickly and isolated themselves with a spell to prevent any from leaving until only 7 remained...hopefully the right seven. And if not, then with a traitor revealed. The interrogations and investigations lasted little more than a day before the Trickster was accused.

_At this in the story, where you first heard it, the light source nearby starts to flicker and become brighter at the same time. Almost blindingly bright and yet lighting the area no more than usual._

The Trickster ran and used his skills to hide from those monstrously strong Seven and yet he faced a problem: he was not the impostor. And now the impostor had a perfect excuse to kill other heroes in his name... so he devised a plot worthy of its own story and unveiled the traitor to be the Holy Warrior. The spell of containment went down and the group of seven made to leave...as another hero arrived: the Dancing Smith. Deciding to forgo the risk of another containment the Heroes simply forged on before the Godless could find some way into the heart. That is where things started falling apart. The first wave of Godless claimed two of the Heroes. The second wave another two.

By the third wave the heroes had it figured out and even managed to capture a legendary Godless that approached them: the Crowlord. The Crowlord claimed it could help the Heroes reach the Heart and knew the traitor, but that it would not reveal who that traitor was. The Heroes, not believing the Godless, ignored it and made to rest. An attack in the night nearly went disastrously, but the Trickster woke in time to save those remaining heroes. And yet, when he fell unconscious from his injuries. Two more were dead when he awoke. And with those six deaths, there were only two left: the Trickster and the Prodigy. And yet the Prodigy was nowhere to be found. However there were drag marks indicating that a body had been taken by the Godless and yet…the Trickster was alive. At first he thought somehow they hadn’t been able to tell he was alive…and then he saw the light dusting of glass throughout the resting area. And saw the Crowlord smiling its inhuman smile.

_The light in the room seems to start swaying in the flickers. Almost like its alive._

It didn’t take long after that for the Trickster to free the Crowlord and ask its help. All his allies were dead and his one fiercest enemy, the Prodigy, could not be confirmed dead. Together the pair made their way to the Heart with ease, the Godless moving aside for a smiling Crowlord. And yet, as they reached the heart, another burst through the horde: a young, female prodigy covered in some horrid dark power. Instantly the Trickster say in her eyes a hatred. Something not her own. Her power was such that when the Crowlord Shattered her… it simply looked like the void was smiling back.

_The light sputters darkly and almost seems to hiss._

The fight that ensued was desperate and remains one of the greatest shows an illusionist can show, and in the end a severely injured Crowlord and Trickster emerged victorious against that creature of god-like darkness. (It should be noted that many speculate this was Krezak’s power.) And, as the Trickster moved to touch the heart and give his own life to bring Volite back… the Crowlord said something so terrible that not even the strongest seers have been able to hear it without falling into their own madnesses. And with that, the Trickster instead thrust his sword into the Heart. The resulting tear expanded and eventually caused the Husk to explode, killing the Trickster instantly and bringing about this world of darkness.

_The light seems subdued now. Somehow…it feels completely sad. To those who watch closely a figure can be seen holding and soothing another as something behind them explodes. And all who see the light feel it in their souls that this story is true._


	7. Godless

The Godless are a scourge the world has had to deal with since Yna died. And with each subsequent dead got they have gotten stronger. Godless are the creatures that roam the world looking for the Shards in an attempt to bask in their power. It is known that the longer a Godless spends with a Shard (up to a limit based on the particular Shard), the stronger they get. It is unclear if Godless are simply creatures twisted by proximity to the Husks or creatures spawned directly of the Husks. They tend to resemble wildlife, but that tendency is loose at best. Thankfully the vast majority of the Godless are little more than mindless creatures that seek the shards with 3 notable, and legendary exceptions. Academically it is acknowledged that Godless likely have more potential than our own life and can feasibly become or do anything...or at least they could if allowed to bask in the Shards' glow.


	8. The Crowlord

Always cordial and in the manners of the era, the Crowlord is the oldest recorded individual Godless. Its physical appearance is a cross between that of a humanoid and crow and closely resembles a Kenku. The creature has been present for the death of each god and is reported to have touched every pearl before it shattered. The Crowlord's powers are largely unknown save for the aftermath. When the Crowlord decides to take a Shard the only remnants of any settlement around that Shard are glass shards with an eerie resemblence to the previous inhabitants. Notably, while the Crowlord has undoubtedly slaughtered hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions, to get to Shards, he has also aided the civilizations against other Godless and against extinction. The greatest of these contributions being the Wards of the Shardeater, which protect all the remaining major Shards.


	9. The Shardeater

The Shardeater is a creature the size of a giant with the appearance of a Great Bear. Its fur is a mix of adamantine red, some pink material, and another glowing blue material. Reguarless of the colors however...the creature appears completely invulnerable to damage. The first reported sightings of the Shardeater was after the fall of Pritais but, much to the sorrow of many later, it was left alone in favor of dealing with Lamis. The Shardeater started eating Shards directly and seems to, over time, have gained the ability to act as a Shard. As such the Shardeater has a large Horde of Godless that follow it as it goes from Shard to Shard . Using this army the Shardeater has killed millions in its quest to consume all the Shards. Unfortunately the amount of power it seems to have gained is such that no known spell or weapon can even harm it. It is only by the use of the Crowlord's Wards, and their offshoots created by Arcane Mages, that the Shardeater is kept at bay. All races of the world have experienced rangers tracking Shardeater so they can prepare for his arrivals.


	10. The Neverdreamed

The Neverdreamed is a topic of some conflict in Academic circles. First, its existence is questioned by many a young wizard...but a perusal of the physical evidence across a lifetime makes it certain to all, and not just mages, that the Neverdreamed exists. And second, there is the question of whether the Neverdreamed is a Godless at all. The Neverdreamed is a creature of dreams and nightmares that consumes all of its victims, including their existence as dreaming creatures. Entire towns, cities, and even Kingdoms have been consumed by the Neverdreamed leaving only empty ruins behind...ruins that not a single soul could tell you anything about. When the Neverdreamed consumes someone it somehow uses its dream nature to consume all memories of those people from everyone...even gods.   
All of these effects however could be an especially strong and malevolent dream spirit, but what has gone missing is what leads most Academics to say it is a Godless. All known ruins caused by the Neverdreamed contained a Shard of some variety and of those ruins a disturbing amount were research centers on the Godless. There are clear records that at least 3 civilizations were erased when they discovered a way to enslave Godless. All of these...erased from memory.  
None of this compares to the breadth of its impact however. There is not a single person that has not realized someone in their life went missing. From lovers, to parents, to hometowns, and everything in between.


	11. Lore bits

1\. The average Sorcerer is stronger in arcane magic than the average Wizard. Nobody knows why.

2\. The Eparchy of Slovetkia started as a city state under the rule of the Hierophant of Volite. Until they suddenly came across the ruins of several lost civilizations around them and appropriated the advanced magical weaponry there to conquer their territory.

3\. Paper is provided by 3 primary sources. 1. The mega farms around the Shards (crops are harvested for everything and the soil is totally replaced after every harvest). 2. Those conjuration mages who can trade with other realms (feywild not being on the list...see next Lore). 3. The transmuter guilds.

4\. The Feywild is a reflection of life in the material...which has lead to the death of the vast majority of the Feywild of Nartes. Only the strongest Archfey and their courts survived. And of those, primarily the Winter Unseelie.

5\. There are technically 13 types of vampires. While each family does bear similarities to eachother, such as a vulnerability to sunlight, they all possess unique traits and weaknesses that mean killing any full fledged vampire is incredibly difficult. Not only must any Vampire Hunter beware the abilities of a vampire, but they must be certain of its heritage. Failure to identify the right type of vampire will lead to a failure to properly kill it. This is all due to the source of vampirism. 13 distinct individuals started the Curse of the Living Dead and as such there are 13 Lines.


	12. Marquilambia

The region of the Marquis was at the forefront of magical research on the barriers between life and death, necromancy, and as such had major problems with undead of all varieties. The Marquis however were staunch believers in the sanctity of the soul and put down all such forces. The challenge came with Pritais' death. Mistaken as followers of Lamis by most, nearly all their Life Shards were stolen and as such the land's capacity to support life became nearly non-existent. Seeing this, a young noble by the name of Marquis Verek Tifris developed a blend of living and dead magics what few life shards he was able to get...13 shards in all. The 13 shards he gave to the 13 greatest houses of the Marquis and with their use came the rise of the 13 Vampire Lines. To this day the 13 Lines rule Marquilambia together with an elected leader from the 13 houses each century. Currently it is House Sangbois.

  
Relations: United Provinces (Indifference), Horde (Pre-war skirmishes)


	13. United Provinces of Tavela

Initially part of some Empire now forgotten, the United Provinces were in the middle of a brutal war of independence against said Empire when it was consumed by the Neverdreamed. The result was a strange union that persists to this day. The United Provinces primarily consists of Tieflings of both the Infernal and Abyssal persuasion and this is reflected in their leadership. Their mages will summon both devils and demons to the battlefield to assist their action and, somehow, those summoned do not fight eachother when summoned by Province Mages. The reason for this is unknown as the Province Academies who produce those conjuration mages are extremely secretive on the topic. Perhaps most strange of all is that, despite an overwhelming dominance of Tieflings in Province leadership positions, it is a Drow by the name of Princess Lania Feren Vidalie.

Relations: Marquilambia (indifference), Horde (active war), Sania (betrayed by Sania), Eparchy (active war)


	14. Arterorian Horde

Born of a number of orcish tribes that managed to subjugate hobgoblins, the Arterorian Horde quickly conquered and subjugated their neighbors. Their nation is one where Might Makes Right, but only for Orcs. All others will serve. This is not to say they lack intelligence or planning as the Horde has proven over the centuries their ability to control not only their own infighting enough to prevent collapse, but also the control of many formidable Monsters. The Horde wields not only their foot armies, but Dire Ice Wolves, Great Bears, Great Worms, and Dragons as prominent members of their ranks. It can also be said that the Horde are undisputedly at the forefront of Evocation and Shard Transportation Theory. The current leader of the Horde is King Baral Sulgarson.

Relations: Sania (peace), United Provinces (active war), Marquilambia (Pre-war skirmishes)


	15. Sania

The now-small Kingdom of Sania used to be the powerhouse in its quarter of the continent. Records put it as the undisputed oldest kingdom on the continent…But that prestige has fallen a long way. Once a bastion of the most powerful Goddess, that Goddess’ death, the slaughter of their population that came with it, and the Godless took their tolls. Sania has fallen as a great power and become instead a haven for those peoples and adventurers that don’t have a home. Fortunately, this has given them a surplus of powerful adventurers to bolster their defenses and as such they were recently able to gain a peace treaty with the Eparchy of Slovetkia. The population of Sania is primarily human but has most races on equal grounds in its territory. Sania is under the leadership of Queen Kalyn Pros.

Relations: Horde (peace), Eparchy (recent peace), United Provinces (apologetic)


	16. Eparchy of Slovetkia

Once a single city-state, the Eparchy grew when it suddenly found itself amongst ruins created by the Neverdreamed. The Eparchy quickly appropriated and built great magical machines from those ruins and conquered the vast territory they hold today. The leadership is comprised entirely of Aasimar as the Eparchy follows a caste system with a racial component (Priests, Administrators, Warriors, Merchants, Craftsmen, Labourers). The Eparchy has taken a full third of Sania’s and the Provinces’ territories respectively since it started its wars in that region. The only region the Eparchy seems to tolerate is the Duchy of Coudia and even then only because they were unable to conquer it by force a century ago. The leader of the Eparchy is Archpriest

Relations: United Provinces (active war), Sania (weak peace), Duchy of Coudia (trade peace), Artosolia (Pretends they don’t exist)


	17. Duchy of Coudia

A land of halflings that is itself just as lucky as its primary inhabitants. It is filled with smallfolk (though primarily halflings) and their architecture reflects this. Despite that, Coudia is the home of the Order of the Eternal Lily and their products reflect that. Most of the quality foods and drinks in the world are made in Coudia (as in an actual majority of about 75%). That, along with their exports of wood and other goods, makes them a trade powerhouse that is not worth invading. Coudia has managed over the last century to grant its merchants special rights in all territories but those of the Horde.

Relations: Marquilambia (Best Market Friends), Sania (Best Tourist Friends), Eparchy (Best Healer Friends), United Provinces (Best Magic Secret Friends), Artosolia (We prefer to use intermediaries thanks)


	18. Artosolia

Artosolia is a land not oft discussed among the denizens of Nartes, and yet their control of the Adamantine Road makes them all important to the world. The denizens of Artosolia are anyone who wishes to join…but unlike even Marquilambia, Artosolia has so few Shards that only the hardiest can live in their lands. All the hardiest…except the Artosolians. Rumours abound that the Artosolians are Godless, but they themselves refute it all the time. Rumour similarly has it that no magic, divine, arcane, innate, or channeled (such as the speed of a monk) functions in their immediate presence. This last one has some credibility at least as all military campaigns into Artosolian territory have ended with absolute failure as every logistical spell fails.

Relations: All (Unknown)


	19. Grand Duchy of Witia

Witia is a highly mountainous nation and houses two previously warring factions: the Yuan-Ti Empire of Sliva and the Dwarven Kingdom of Latchen. Some two hundred or so years ago the entire region was conquered by a rogue kobold Duke who managed to gain titles under both nations and ever since the Duchy has been relatively stable. While both Dwarves and Yuan-Ti seem like unlikely candidates for peace, this was no doubt greatly aided by Duke Karavis’ (the Duke who united the land) maneuvering that based the Runic Hammer in their lands. Ever since that Order rooted themselves fully in the territory a complex system of agreements, contracts, and laws has kept its inhabitants curiously complacent. This may also have been aided by the mass influx of Kobolds from the world over once they realized Witia was a safe haven for them.

All of this, the previous wars, the Runic Hammer, and the three primary races’ personal drives for improvement have led to a highly industrial and forward-thinking sovereignty. It is rumoured that Witia employs underground automated carriages on rails, boomsticks, airships, and more. The contribution of the Yuan-Ti has also made them the formost experts in transmutation and its many applications. The current Duke is Karavis XV

Relations: Baheim (Tense peace), Fislen (Dismissive)


	20. Khaghanate of Baheim

The Khaghanate was started centuries ago by a tribe of gold dragonborn. Shortly following its founding they formed many great armies from the other Dragonborn, Goliath, and Giant tribes in the region and conquered a cast swathe of territory, subjugating many peoples. Unfortunately, the histories are also that the Khaganate had an appetite for conquest throughout that time. That hunger even extends to the Godless and that was their mistake.

About 300 years ago the Khaganate ran across the Shardeater’s army and began a bloody war against it. For reasons unknown their wards against the beast (those given by the Crowlord) soon failed and the war became unbelievably bloody for the Khaganate. Remarkably however…that war ended almost a century ago. Somehow, the Khaghanate managed to drive the Shardeater from their lands without the wards.

That victory, combined with a warrior culture and a desperate need to replenish their ranks, led to their cleansing of Baheim of any and all Godless. In the last 50 years the Khaganate has also regained control of many provinces that had seceded during the war, bringing them in conflict with Fislen and Witia. Despite this however, the Khaganate has a vast demand for goods and so is at peace for the moment. This peace has allowed the goods of the East to travel along the Adamantine road to the west where they are used by all the various factions.

Relations: Fislen (Tense Peace), Witia (Tense Peace)


	21. Fislen

Fislen is likely the last place in Nartes with great natural swathes of land. Fislen is a land of elves, firbolg, lizardmen, and ancient creatures of nature. All of it maintained by the Circle of Fislen, hence the name of the country. Following the fall of Pritais nature as it was known started to die in full. While it had started with Yna’s death and the emergence of the Godless, this got much worse when Fislen died and so the druids of Fislen went out and gathered every druid they could to construct a distribution network over an area to maximize the use of what Shards they had. The cost was tremendous, the wealth used exceeding that of even the wealthiest kings by a dozen times, but the Warding was complete. Ever since, the druids and primal gods of Nartes have defended the place as the only place in the world that still exists as it was meant to. Diplomatically Fislen needs little from the rest of the world and usually chooses to isolate itself. Only occasionally selling those rare materials only they have (such as rare plants) in order to get the supplies they need to maintain the Warding.

Relations: Baheim (Tense peace), Witia (Unimportant)


End file.
